Comfortable win for Scarlets over Zebre
Scarlets registered a comfortable Guinness Pro12 victory over bottom-placed Zebre as they consolidated fourth place in the table with a bonus-point 42-7 win at Parc y Scarlets.
Scarlets' tries came from wing Steff Evans, flanker Aaron Shingler, wing Tom Williams, lock Tom Price, a penalty try and No. 8 Will Boyde with fly-half Dan Jones adding five conversions and Aled Thomas one. It was their seventh straight victory.
Zebre's points came from a Mattia Bellini try and a conversion from scrum-half Marcello Violi.
Home coach Wayne Pivac made three changes to his side, with Steff Hughes, Emyr Phillips and Tadhg Beirne starting.
Zebre welcomed back Thomas Boni, Marcello Violi, Federico Ruzza, Joshua Furno, Tommaso D'Apice and Dario Zanetti from Six Nations duty after their release from the Italy squad.
Scarlets held a comfortable 21-7 at the break but if they had turned their territorial dominance into points it could have been a lot more.
The Welsh region made their intention known early on they were going for the bonus-point win, kicking penalties to touch instead of at the posts.
It took them 13 minutes to get on the scoreboard when Evans, released by the Wales squad for this match, went over in the left corner. Jones converted from the touchline to make it 7-0.
Both sides butchered a couple of try opportunities - most notably a hack up field by Giulio Bisegni but the ball went into touch.
Against the run of play Zebre levelled the scores on 24 minutes when wing Bellini finished off a well worked try from a scrum with Violi.
But Scarlets finished the half the stronger scoring two tries in the space of five minutes.
First Shingler went over after a burst to the line by Hadleigh Parkes with Jones converting and that was followed by a hack forward by lock Beirne and the bounce fell kindly for Williams who ran in.
Jones converted again.
After a scrappy start to the second half Scarlets earned a penalty in the Zebre 22. From the line-out the home side drove before Price went over for the bonus point. Jones put over his fourth conversion as Scarlets led 28-7.
A disciplined Scarlets did not give away their first penalty until the 56th minute.
But with the infringements mounting up for Zebre replacement Bruno Postiglioni was yellow carded on 62 minutes for an illegal tackle.
Down to seven in the pack Zebre conceded a penalty try from a scrum with Jones' conversion making it 35-7 on 64 minutes.
Eight minutes from time Boyd went over for the sixth try converted by Thomas.
